The recent Brian Epstein Biopic “Midas man“A film about the manager of The Beatles, did not debut on a platform such as Netflix or Amazon, but on a startup that invoices itself as” Shopify for filmmakers “. So what, do you might wonder?
The answer is that the new platform, Olyn, claims to offer a new model for film and video distribution that leans on the power of social references to distribute the streaming content of “à la carte”. Although any production size – from Hollywood Blockbuster Downwards – can use the platform, the company claims that it can be a game change for the independent film industry, which tends to struggle against the marketing budgets of the larger films spread on regular streaming platforms .
In California, Olyn-founded by Ana Maria Jipa, Jeremias Buiro, Kiran Thomas and Malcolm Wood, filmmakers are able to retain up to 90% of their turnover and at the same time gain access to a streaming experience. Instead of films that are sold to platforms such as Netflix, the model depends on the marketing budget of the filmmakers themselves, combined with influencers, film critics and content makers who act as distribution partners by embedding purchase links within their content, blogs and social channels .
This peer-to-peer approach completes the platform as an intermediary and changes film distribution into more an e-commerce-style involvement.
Jipa, CEO and co-founder of Olyn, told Techcrunch that the company Filmmakers offers the equivalent of a fully streaming platform. “We offer all the technology that implies: Van DRM, 4K streaming, casting, a full destination page that presents the film in the same way as on Netflix or Apple TV, plus all other tools such as geo-targeting, analytics and target group data. They promote their film with PR, journalists, bloggers, film critics, etc., “she said, adding that a recommendation of someone you trust bears much more weight than a suggestion of an algorithm on a streaming platform.
Olyn also gives filmmakers analyzes about viewers, such as in which country the film is doing well, as well as minutes viewed, and a database with users who have watched the films. “Filmmakers can spend years making a film, but can never meet or possess their audience. So we see this as a very powerful tool. It will be an audience that you can tackle directly for your next films and then grow, “said Jipa.
The question is, can Olyn compete with the convenience and scale of large streamers? Although the model offers much higher income shares for filmmakers, it also means that all the weight is placed on the shoulders of production teams to stimulate marketing and partnerships.
Perry Trevers, a producer at Studio PowThat Olyn used to distribute ‘Midas Man’, sees the platform as a useful step in the right direction. “Olyn has enabled us to think beyond traditional platforms, so that we can become our own streaming service […] It is about powerful filmmakers to market and distribute films in a way that reflects the direct-to-consumer success of e-commerce […] It is an opportunity to keep control of our work and to define again how films reach their viewers, “he said in a statement.
One of the most urgent problems in the film industry is piracy. Many users turn to illegal sources, simply because a film is not available in their country. Jipa states that the global reach of Olyn can help fight this problem, because if someone can pay for a movie and view it immediately, they have that much more likely.
Olyn’s trip to film streaming was partly created when entrepreneur and filmmaker Wood joined as co-founder of the platform, which was initially launched as a way to catalog physical assets. Wood launched his own film, ‘The last glaciers‘On the platform.
“Independent filmmakers have already taken the financial risk to produce their own films. Studio Pow is funded by itself. They created the film “Midas Man”. They have the freedom to be able to sell those rights to whom they want. They have closed a deal on the British market with Amazon, but they thought it was more profitable to go directly to their audience on the American market with the help of Olyn as a tool, “he said.
Wood feels that Olyn can best be considered “Shopify for filmmakers with a reference link.”
He noted that the average film on Amazon in the UK only gets around 2,000 views per year. “So there are a number of films that have millions of views, but most films fall under the 2000 View Mark,” he added.
Large streaming services usually offer a lump sum license deal, which means that filmmakers receive a one-off payment, regardless of how often their film is viewed. Olyn turns this model upside down by allowing filmmakers to earn directly based on viewers.
“With Olyn, a filmmaker can still sell his rights to the American market and use that to finance the film in advance, but also benefit from direct-to-consumer in Asia,” said Wood.
But could the platform be used by the film industry for adults to distribute pornography?
Jipa acknowledged the challenge: “At the moment this is not the tone we want to set, and it would be easy to attract that category,” she said. “In the beginning we set the tone by ensuring that the films are of high quality on Olyn.”
“But in the long term we want to create a space where filmmakers, not the platform, decide what is being distributed,” she added. “We don’t want to act as gatekeepers. Our vision is to enable filmmakers to have full control over what they are spreading and eventually going to a full Saas model. “
So far, Olyn has collected only a small amount of financing – a total of $ 2.8 million – in a combination of $ 1.8 million from US VC Firm Hard yaka And a number of angel investors.